Politics 101: Why do candidates run in presidential primaries, and continue to run, when they have no chance of winning?

1-You never know, e.g., Jimmy Who? or the Comeback Kid Bill Clinton or the skinny kid with a funny name Barack Obama.

2-You become famous by developing name recognition, e.g., Pat Robertson, Gary Bauer.

3-You position yourself for higher political office or future campaigns, e.g., HW Bush, Joe Biden, Ben Carson.

4-You position yourself for higher income jobs, increased speaker fees, e.g., Mike Huckabee, Hillary Rodham Clinton. 

5-You’re described in media the rest of your life as “former presidential candidate,” e.g., Rudy Giuliani, Mitt Romney, et al.

6-It’s fun, you travel around treated as royalty, media follows you, e.g., Herman Caine, Carly Fiorina.

7-You keep your issue in the news, e.g., Ralph Nader, Jesse Jackson.

8-Egos and Logos, e.g., Ross Perot, Michael Bloomberg. 

9-Money, Sex, and Power, or what Scripture calls Lust of the Eyes, Lust of the Flesh, and Pride of Life, e.g., John Edwards, Gary Hart, and enough others to run the alphabet.

© Rex M. Rogers – All Rights Reserved, 2020    

*This blog may be reproduced in whole or in part with a full attribution statement. Contact me or read more commentary on current issues and events at www.rexmrogers.com/, or connect with me at www.linkedin.com/in/rexmrogers.